A Word of Introduction from Ed Lim: Charlie Vaccaro liked to use last month’s cautionary tale, “A Fable for Our Time,” as a lead-in to a speech he gave many times when invited as a guest team building and motivational speaker at component manufacturer and lumber yard sales...

Pretty much everyone in manufacturing has heard the Toyota example. It’s often held up as the gold standard for quality and continuous improvement, especially the andon cord, which allows any worker to stop the line when something does not seem right. The familiar takeaway is quality...

Early design decisions have a lasting impact on how efficiently and effectively a building is constructed. By engaging the professionals who make those decisions, the structural building components industry can create better plans, stronger partnerships, and new opportunities for...

Six years ago, I wrote “20 Words for 2020.” I remember it very well, carefully choosing those 20 words that I wished for everyone in the coming year. In many ways, that seems like a very long time ago. That was before the pandemic stole millions of lives from the world. That was...

As we enter 2026, with the excitement of the holidays behind us, we ask ourselves, what do we need to do to ensure that the best is yet to come? In reflecting on the start of another year, we have asked ourselves, what do we need to do to succeed? How can we do things better? How can we be...

In 2013, I launched LimTek Solutions with a clear mission: to promote, market, and sell Enventek’s groundbreaking truss manufacturing technology, first developed in 2007. For over a decade, it’s been full steam ahead and we have cultivated an impressive Feed the Beast! customer base....

Most people assume the hardest problems they deal with are theirs alone. That assumption quietly shapes how work gets done. You fix the issue in front of you, adjust a process, add another spreadsheet, or patch a handoff between design and production, then move on. Rarely do you pause to ask...

Every truss manufacturer knows this moment. A job should be moving forward, but it isn’t. Sales thinks design has it. Design is waiting on information. Production is asking for answers. Someone opens a file only to realize it is outdated. Nobody feels negligent, yet nothing is...

Meetings are a necessary part of running any business. They can align teams, solve problems, and move projects forward. But in many organizations, meetings have quietly grown out of control. What once served a clear purpose has, over time, turned into a standing calendar block that exists simply...

Component manufacturing is a dynamic business. Market conditions, building codes, supply-chain pressures, and labor needs are continuously shifting, requiring constant problem-solving and innovation. In this environment, staying informed and connected is essential. SBCA’s Open Quarterly...